I11-High Resolution Powder Diffraction
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Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[23666]
Open Access
Abstract: Understanding the structure-property relationships of materials in order to supress thermal conductivity is crucial for developing efficient thermoelectric generators and thermal barrier coatings. We synthesise two mixed-anion materials, Bi8CsO8SeX7 (X = Cl and Br), with low thermal conductivities of 0.27(2) and 0.22(2) W m-1 K-1 respectively, associated with their c-axes at room temperature. These materials possess a combination of bond strength hierarchies and low frequency Cs+ rattling, which significantly inhibits phonon transport along different crystallographic directions. Due to sharp bond strength contrast between the van der Waals gaps and [Bi2O2]2+ layers, Bi8CsO8SeX7 materials exhibit thermal conductivities <50% of the theoretical minimum when measured along the stacking direction. Conversely, the thermal conductivity associated with the ab-plane is reduced by Cs+ rattling when compared to the structurally and compositionally related BiOCl. This highlights how combining different structural features into one material can aid in the design and identification of new materials with low thermal conductivities.
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Jun 2023
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B18-Core EXAFS
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Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[14239]
Open Access
Abstract: Optimisation of electrodeposition routes of birnessite manganese dioxide (MnO2) coatings onto 3D graphene foam substrates enabled greater attainable capacitances. Current pulse deposition method resulted in highest achievable areal capacitance of 530 mF/cm2 under a 10 mA/cm2 current rate, cycling performance with 91% retention after 9000 cycles, as well as improved rate capability when compared to the cyclic voltammetry or galvanostatic deposition. Introduction of oxygen functional groups to the graphene foam added initial pseudocapacitance and accelerated the rate for nucleation and growth of the MnO2 crystal grains, resulting in an areal capacitance of 410 mF/cm2 under a 10 mA/cm2 current rate. However, in this case the increase in specific capacitance was accompanied by sluggish kinetic for charge storage seen via impedance spectroscopy. The charge storage mechanism of the deposited MnO2 films was investigated using in situ Raman microscopy and analysis of peak shifts revealed expansion and contraction of birnessite MnO2, relating to exchange of Na+ and H2O at the MnO2 interface.
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Apr 2023
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I11-High Resolution Powder Diffraction
I19-Small Molecule Single Crystal Diffraction
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Alexandra
Morscher
,
Benjamin B.
Duff
,
Guopeng
Han
,
Luke M.
Daniels
,
Yun
Dang
,
Marco
Zanella
,
Manel
Sonni
,
Ahmad
Malik
,
Matthew S.
Dyer
,
Ruiyong
Chen
,
Frédéric
Blanc
,
John B.
Claridge
,
Matthew J.
Rosseinsky
Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[23666, 21726]
Open Access
Abstract: Argyrodite is a key structure type for ion-transporting materials. Oxide argyrodites are largely unexplored despite sulfide argyrodites being a leading family of solid-state lithium-ion conductors, in which the control of lithium distribution over a wide range of available sites strongly influences the conductivity. We present a new cubic Li-rich (>6 Li+ per formula unit) oxide argyrodite Li7SiO5Cl that crystallizes with an ordered cubic (P213) structure at room temperature, undergoing a transition at 473 K to a Li+ site disordered F4̅3m structure, consistent with the symmetry adopted by superionic sulfide argyrodites. Four different Li+ sites are occupied in Li7SiO5Cl (T5, T5a, T3, and T4), the combination of which is previously unreported for Li-containing argyrodites. The disordered F4̅3m structure is stabilized to room temperature via substitution of Si4+ with P5+ in Li6+xP1–xSixO5Cl (0.3 < x < 0.85) solid solution. The resulting delocalization of Li+ sites leads to a maximum ionic conductivity of 1.82(1) × 10–6 S cm–1 at x = 0.75, which is 3 orders of magnitude higher than the conductivities reported previously for oxide argyrodites. The variation of ionic conductivity with composition in Li6+xP1–xSixO5Cl is directly connected to structural changes occurring within the Li+ sublattice. These materials present superior atmospheric stability over analogous sulfide argyrodites and are stable against Li metal. The ability to control the ionic conductivity through structure and composition emphasizes the advances that can be made with further research in the open field of oxide argyrodites.
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Nov 2022
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I11-High Resolution Powder Diffraction
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Bernhard T.
Leube
,
Christopher M.
Collins
,
Luke M.
Daniels
,
Benjamin B.
Duff
,
Yun
Dang
,
Ruiyong
Chen
,
Michael W.
Gaultois
,
Troy D.
Manning
,
Frédéric
Blanc
,
Matthew S.
Dyer
,
John B.
Claridge
,
Matthew J.
Rosseinsky
Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[17193]
Open Access
Abstract: A tetragonal argyrodite with >7 mobile cations, Li7Zn0.5SiS6, is experimentally realized for the first time through solid state synthesis and exploration of the Li–Zn–Si–S phase diagram. The crystal structure of Li7Zn0.5SiS6 was solved ab initio from high-resolution X-ray and neutron powder diffraction data and supported by solid-state NMR. Li7Zn0.5SiS6 adopts a tetragonal I4 structure at room temperature with ordered Li and Zn positions and undergoes a transition above 411.1 K to a higher symmetry disordered F43m structure more typical of Li-containing argyrodites. Simultaneous occupation of four types of Li site (T5, T5a, T2, T4) at high temperature and five types of Li site (T5, T2, T4, T1, and a new trigonal planar T2a position) at room temperature is observed. This combination of sites forms interconnected Li pathways driven by the incorporation of Zn2+ into the Li sublattice and enables a range of possible jump processes. Zn2+ occupies the 48h T5 site in the high-temperature F43m structure, and a unique ordering pattern emerges in which only a subset of these T5 sites are occupied at room temperature in I4 Li7Zn0.5SiS6. The ionic conductivity, examined via AC impedance spectroscopy and VT-NMR, is 1.0(2) × 10–7 S cm–1 at room temperature and 4.3(4) × 10–4 S cm–1 at 503 K. The transition between the ordered I4 and disordered F43m structures is associated with a dramatic decrease in activation energy to 0.34(1) eV above 411 K. The incorporation of a small amount of Zn2+ exercises dramatic control of Li order in Li7Zn0.5SiS6 yielding a previously unseen distribution of Li sites, expanding our understanding of structure–property relationships in argyrodite materials.
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Apr 2022
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I11-High Resolution Powder Diffraction
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Dingyue
Hu
,
Karl
Dawson
,
Marco
Zanella
,
Troy D.
Manning
,
Luke M.
Daniels
,
Nigel D.
Browning
,
B. Layla
Mehdi
,
Yaobin
Xu
,
Houari
Amari
,
J. Felix
Shin
,
Michael J.
Pitcher
,
Ruiyong
Chen
,
Hongjun
Niu
,
Bowen
Liu
,
Matthew
Bilton
,
Junyoung
Kim
,
John B.
Claridge
,
Matthew J.
Rosseinsky
Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[23666]
Open Access
Abstract: Performance durability is one of the essential requirements for solid oxide fuel cell materials operating in the intermediate temperature range (500–700 °C). The trade-off between desirable catalytic activity and long-term stability challenges the development and commercialization of electrode materials. Here an oxygen cathode material, Ba0.5Sr0.5(Co0.7Fe0.3)0.69−xMgxW0.31O3−δ (BSCFW-xMg), that exhibits excellent electrocatalytic performance through the addition of an optimized amount of Mg to the self-assembled nanocomposite Ba0.5Sr0.5(Co0.7Fe0.3)0.69W0.31O3−δ (BSCFW) by simple solid-state reaction is reported. Distinct from the bulk and surface approaches to introduce vacancies and defects in materials design, here the Mg2+ ions concentrate at the single perovskite/double perovskite interface of BSCFW with dislocations and Mg2+-rich nanolayers, resulting in stressed and compositionally inhomogeneous interface regions. The interfacial chemistry within these nanocomposites provides an additional degree of freedom to enable performance optimization over single phase materials and promotes the durability of alkaline-earth based fuel cell materials.
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Mar 2022
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B18-Core EXAFS
I11-High Resolution Powder Diffraction
I15-1-X-ray Pair Distribution Function (XPDF)
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Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[23666, 23167]
Open Access
Abstract: Li-rich rocksalt oxides are promising candidates as high-energy density cathode materials for next-generation Li-ion batteries because they present extremely diverse structures and compositions. Most reported materials in this family contain as many cations as anions, a characteristic of the ideal cubic closed-packed rocksalt composition. In this work, a new rocksalt-derived structure type is stabilized by selecting divalent Cu and pentavalent Sb cations to favor the formation of oxygen vacancies during synthesis. The structure and composition of the oxygen-deficient Li4CuSbO5.5□0.5 phase is characterized by combining X-ray and neutron diffraction, ICP-OES, XAS, and magnetometry measurements. The ordering of cations and oxygen vacancies is discussed in comparison with the related Li2CuO2□1 and Li5SbO5□1 phases. The electrochemical properties of this material are presented, with only 0.55 Li+ extracted upon oxidation, corresponding to a limited utilization of cationic and/or anionic redox, whereas more than 2 Li+ ions can be reversibly inserted upon reduction to 1 V vs Li+/Li, a large capacity attributed to a conversion reaction and the reduction of Cu2+ to Cu0. Control of the formation of oxygen vacancies in Li-rich rocksalt oxides by selecting appropriate cations and synthesis conditions affords a new route for tuning the electrochemical properties of cathode materials for Li-ion batteries. Furthermore, the development of material models of the required level of detail to predict phase diagrams and electrochemical properties, including oxygen release in Li-rich rocksalt oxides, still relies on the accurate prediction of crystal structures. Experimental identification of new accessible structure types stabilized by oxygen vacancies represents a valuable step forward in the development of predictive models.
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Dec 2021
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I11-High Resolution Powder Diffraction
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Open Access
Abstract: Protonic ceramic fuel cells (PCFCs) are attractive energy conversion devices for intermediate-temperature operation (400-600 °C), however widespread application of PCFCs relies on the development of new high-performance electrode materials. Here we report the electrochemical and protonic properties of a self-assembled nanocomposite, Ba0.5Sr0.5(Co0.7Fe0.3)0.6875W0.3125O3−δ (BSCFW) consisting of a disordered single perovskite and an ordered double perovskite phase, as a PCFC cathode material. BSCFW shows thermodynamic and kinetic protonic behaviour conducive to PCFC application with favourable proton defect formation enthalpy (ΔH = -35±7 kJ mol–1) comparable to existing proton conducting electrolyte materials. BSCFW presents an excellent polarization resistance (Rp) of 0.172(2) Ω cm2 at 600 °C and a high power density of 582(1) mW cm–2 through singlecell measurement, which is comparable performance to current state-of-the-art cathode materials. BSCFW exhibits good chemical and thermal stability against BaZr0.1Ce0.7Y0.1Yb0.1O3-δ (BZCYYb) electrolyte with a low Rp degradation rate of 1.0(1) × 10-6 Ω cm2 min-1. These performance and stability figures represent an advance beyond those of Ba0.5Sr0.5Co0.7Fe0.3O3−δ (BSCF), which is unstable under the same conditions and is incompatible with the electrolyte material. Our comprehensive characterization of the protonic properties of BSCFW, whose performance and stability are ensured via the interplay of the single and double perovskite phases, provides fundamental understanding that will inform the future design of high-performance PCFC cathodes.
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Dec 2021
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I11-High Resolution Powder Diffraction
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Open Access
Abstract: Mixed anion materials and anion doping are very promising strategies to improve solid-state electrolyte properties by enabling an optimized balance between good electrochemical stability and high ionic conductivity. In this work, we present the discovery of a novel lithium aluminum sulfide–chloride phase, obtained by substitution of chloride for sulfur in Li3AlS3 and Li5AlS4 materials. The structure is strongly affected by the presence of chloride anions on the sulfur site, as the substitution was shown to be directly responsible for the stabilization of a higher symmetry phase presenting a large degree of cationic site disorder, as well as disordered octahedral lithium vacancies. The effect of disorder on the lithium conductivity properties was assessed by a combined experimental–theoretical approach. In particular, the conductivity is increased by a factor 103 compared to the pure sulfide phase. Although it remains moderate (10–6 S·cm–1), ab initio molecular dynamics and maximum entropy (applied to neutron diffraction data) methods show that disorder leads to a 3D diffusion pathway, where Li atoms move thanks to a concerted mechanism. An understanding of the structure–property relationships is developed to determine the limiting factor governing lithium ion conductivity. This analysis, added to the strong step forward obtained in the determination of the dimensionality of diffusion, paves the way for accessing even higher conductivity in materials comprising an hcp anion arrangement.
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Nov 2021
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I19-Small Molecule Single Crystal Diffraction
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Guopeng
Han
,
Andrij
Vasylenko
,
Alex R.
Neale
,
Benjamin B.
Duff
,
Ruiyong
Chen
,
Matthew S.
Dyer
,
Yun
Dang
,
Luke
Daniels
,
Marco
Zanella
,
Craig
Robertson
,
Laurence J.
Kershaw Cook
,
Anna-Lena
Hansen
,
Michael
Knapp
,
Laurence J.
Hardwick
,
Frédéric
Blanc
,
John B.
Claridge
,
Matthew J.
Rosseinsky
Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[21726]
Open Access
Abstract: Extended anionic frameworks based on condensation of polyhedral main group non-metal anions offer a wide range of structure types. Despite the widespread chemistry and earth abundance of phosphates and silicates, there are no reports of extended ultraphosphate anions with lithium. We describe the lithium ultraphosphates Li3P5O14 and Li4P6O17 based on extended layers and chains of phosphate, respectively. Li3P5O14 presents a complex structure containing infinite ultraphosphate layers with 12-membered rings that are stacked alternately with lithium polyhedral layers. Two distinct vacant tetrahedral sites were identified at the end of two distinct finite Li6O1626– chains. Li4P6O17 features a new type of loop-branched chain defined by six PO43– tetrahedra. The ionic conductivities and electrochemical properties of Li3P5O14 were examined by impedance spectroscopy combined with DC polarization, NMR spectroscopy, and galvanostatic plating/stripping measurements. The structure of Li3P5O14 enables three-dimensional lithium migration that affords the highest ionic conductivity (8.5(5) × 10–7 S cm–1 at room temperature for bulk), comparable to that of commercialized LiPON glass thin film electrolytes, and lowest activation energy (0.43(7) eV) among all reported ternary Li–P–O phases. Both new lithium ultraphosphates are predicted to have high thermodynamic stability against oxidation, especially Li3P5O14, which is predicted to be stable to 4.8 V, significantly higher than that of LiPON and other solid electrolytes. The condensed phosphate units defining these ultraphosphate structures offer a new route to optimize the interplay of conductivity and electrochemical stability required, for example, in cathode coatings for lithium ion batteries.
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Oct 2021
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I11-High Resolution Powder Diffraction
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Andrij
Vasylenko
,
Jacinthe
Gamon
,
Benjamin B.
Duff
,
Vladimir V.
Gusev
,
Luke M.
Daniels
,
Marco
Zanella
,
J. Felix
Shin
,
Paul M.
Sharp
,
Alexandra
Morscher
,
Ruiyong
Chen
,
Alex R.
Neale
,
Laurence J.
Hardwick
,
John B.
Claridge
,
Frédéric
Blanc
,
Michael W.
Gaultois
,
Matthew S.
Dyer
,
Matthew J.
Rosseinsky
Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[23666]
Open Access
Abstract: The selection of the elements to combine delimits the possible outcomes of synthetic chemistry because it determines the range of compositions and structures, and thus properties, that can arise. For example, in the solid state, the elemental components of a phase field will determine the likelihood of finding a new crystalline material. Researchers make these choices based on their understanding of chemical structure and bonding. Extensive data are available on those element combinations that produce synthetically isolable materials, but it is difficult to assimilate the scale of this information to guide selection from the diversity of potential new chemistries. Here, we show that unsupervised machine learning captures the complex patterns of similarity between element combinations that afford reported crystalline inorganic materials. This model guides prioritisation of quaternary phase fields containing two anions for synthetic exploration to identify lithium solid electrolytes in a collaborative workflow that leads to the discovery of Li3.3SnS3.3Cl0.7. The interstitial site occupancy combination in this defect stuffed wurtzite enables a low-barrier ion transport pathway in hexagonal close-packing.
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Sep 2021
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